well the time has come I've finally installed one reflective optocoupler, for some reason the track is not working properly but this didn't effect the coupler I couldn't get a loco run over it so I had to push it. the reflective opto coupler can be extended to any height, my next job is to connect the in and out fader for the signal


what I like about it, the slider activates the coupler, so nothing has to be done to the loco, no magnets or any other extras and it gives you the peace of mind with a 110 % assurance nothing will fail unless you've got a piece of metal sitting on top of it, it doesn't interfere with anything else except the slider and you don't need inset the coupler
and if you like you could also drill a hole into a M or C-track, close enough to the middle rail and it will do the job perfectly. you can use this reflective opto oupler for the same purpose you use your switching track but because of its minimal space requirement you can add more for other functions such as station lights, street lights, station announcements, the list could go on and on.
watching the video you can see the signal changing in the background while the loco slider goes over the opto coupler

another annoyance we always experience when a train has 2 pick up shoes (sliders) and the second one triggers an action we don't want, there is one solution for it, to have a timer and set it so when the second slider it doesn't activate this particular function or you could have 2 opto couplers close to each other (more than a slider length) and turn it off.

My setup is as follow (automatic train operation) : 2 tracks = (Track 1 and track 2) (both trains always travel in the same direction)

a train comes into the station siding (track 1) , the signal is red and stops via a braking module, close to where the train finally stops (in front of a red signal) I place my reflective coupler, when the slider goes over it, the train waiting on the adjoining track (track 2) gets a green signal activated by the optocoupler.

coming out of the station 2 track siding it forms into one track, when it forms into one track I install another opto coupler to set the signal to red again, so the next train arriving at the station No 2 platform will stop and this procedure is repeated over and over again.

John